Hard Life
by Sodapop CurtisDX
Summary: Just an idea for a fic on Steve that I got from my good buddy BlacklightingDX. From Steve's point of view. He's ten in the beginning, but he'll get older as the story progresses. Read to find out more! Rating may go up in later chapters. R&R! Anybody have
1. Default Chapter

1**Diclaimer: (This disclaimer is for the entire story, so I won't write it at the beginning of every chapter.) I don't own anything that S. E. Hinton owns. **

**I hope everybody likes this! It's just something to do in my boredom. . .By the way, if there are spelling and grammar mistakes, just know they're there on purpose because I don't think the characters would have perfect spelling and grammar. (They didn't in the book.) Enjoy!**

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It was seven o'clock, so I figured I ought to get up and get ready for school. It was my first day of fith grade, and I wanted to be ready to go by 7:30 so I could walk with Sodapop. The sounds of my parents fighting in the living room were growing louder by the minute–as they did every morning–and I was hoping to get out of the house before they started throwing stuff. ". . .HE AIN'T MY KID, AND I TAKE CARE OF HIM MORE'N YOU EVER DID!. . ."

"HE SURE AS HELL AIN'T YOUR KID'N YOU AIN'T TAKIN' IM NOWHERE!"

"WHAT'S HE GONNA DO WITH SOME DRUNK LOSER? YOU AIN'T GONNA TAKE CARE O' HIM! LEAST I CAN GIVE HIM A HOME WHERE I AIN'T GONNA BE DRUNK EVERY SECOND O' THE DAY!"

I sighed and hopped out of bed. My parents were always fighting. Now my mom was getting a divorce and that made Dad madder than heck, so they been fighting more than ever. They always bring me into the fight sooner or later. Mom wants to take me with her, but it's real hard for her 'cause she ain't my real mom. My dad married her when I was a real little baby. My real mom died from some sickness, but Mom's always been there for me, so she's my mom to me. Only problem is, the state don't see it that way, and they're making me stay with my dad unless he let's me go with my mom. I really want to go with her. Dad's always drunk and he gets real mean sometimes. There was a sound of something glass breaking and I thought, too late, they've already started throwing stuff. I pulled on my new jeans and t-shirt and started tying my tennis shoes. I always liked the first day of school. Mom took me shopping for new clothes the day before, so I'd look all nice for the first day. We never got much, 'cause we don't have a lot of money, but anything was better than nothing. At least that was the way I saw it.

"YOU AIN'T TAKIN' MY KID!"

"_YOUR _KID? SINCE WHEN IS HE _YOUR _KID? YOU NEVER DONE ANYTHING FOR HIM 'LONG AS I CAN TELL!"

"HE'S MY KID, AND I AIN'T SIGNIN' NO PAPERS TO LET YOU TAKE HIM!"

I walked into the living room on tip-toe, hoping they wouldn't notice me. "FINE! I'M LEAVING!" I stopped dead. No. No, please don't let her leave now. Don't leave me. Mom turned around and started walking to the door. My old man just stood there with a beer bottle hangin out of his hand and looking real surprised. I was by the front door when she came bursting by. I just followed, leaving the old man standing there. Let him rot, I thought angrily. Let him drop dead and rot there. Right then, I hated my dad. He ruined everything.

"Mom! Don't go! Wait for me!" I ran after her. Mom stopped and waited for me. I was crying by then, and I hated myself for it.

"Oh, baby. I'm so sorry. . ." She hugged me close so I could smell her perfume. Sweet, but not too sweet–like flowers. My mom was the prettiest lady in the world to me. She had soft brown hair and brown eyes that always shined when she was happy. I burried my head in her arms and cried some more. ". . .You promise me something, won't you Stevie?" I sniffed and wiped my nose on the back of my hand. Only my mom could call me Stevie. It didn't sound so bad when she said it. I sniffed again and nodded. Fresh tears were running down my face, but I let them go. "You're a smart boy, Stevie. You can do real good in life–real good. You promise me you'll make something of yourself. Promise me you ain't gonna live like this forever. You ain't gonna become like that trash. Promise me that, okay?"

"Yeah, okay." I couldn't catch my breath.

"You be good, you hear? Be good. Get good grades."

"Okay." My voice was squeaky.

"We'll see each other again, sweetie. Goodbye." She broke the hug and walked away. I can still remember it–the wind blowing her dress and hair as she walked away.

"Bye." I waved to her. I waved till she was too far for me to see, then I started off for school. Only now I wasn't so excited. My only mom–the person that ever really loved me–had left. I never saw my mom again. She lied to me. I never saw her again.

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**It was short, but I thought that was a good place to end the first chapter. Should I keep up with the story? PLEASE REVIEW!**


	2. Chapter Two

1**Hey, here's the next chapter. I only got ONE review, so thank you to BlacklightningDX for her ONE and ONLY review. Lol. Anywho, hope you like it...**

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"Hey, Steve!" Sodapop ran up to me all excited about something. I waited for him to come over. "Guess what?"

"What?" I asked. I wasn't really that curious on account of the fact that I was so sad. I felt like I could cry all over again, but I never cried in front of anybody but my mom. Not even Soda.

Sodapop smiled and said, "Chicken butt." I had to smile back. Soda can do that to a guy. He's always so happy and he can be real funny. Soda's been my best buddy since the first day of kindergarten when some other kids started picking on me. He stuck up for me and he made me laugh. We never fight.

"Is that it?" Soda smiled.

"Nope. I got something _real _special to tell ya." I raised my eyebrows.

"You get another brother or somethin'?" Soda had two other brothers, Ponyboy and Darry. They were okay, but Ponyboy was only a little kid and he was always hanging around Soda. Darry was older and he was alright. Sodapop was laughing now.

"No, man!"–he stopped laughing–"My daddy (Soda still called both his parents "Mommy" and "Daddy") got tickets to the circus–the big one–and he says we got a extra ticket, so you can come!" My face broke into a huge smile. I always wanted to go the circus, but Dad would never take me and Mom always had to work. Plus, we didn't have enough money for circus tickets. "You think you can come?" He was looking right at me, with his brown eyes dancing and excited like. I thought for a minute.

"Prob'ly."

"You gotta ask your folks?"

"Ain't no "folks" no more. Mom walked out today an' Dad's too drunk to care yet. Yeah, I guess I can come." Soda stopped smiling.

"Really? She walked out? I'm sorry, man. . ." He brightened. "Look, you can crash at my place for a while if you want and then we can go to the circus!"

"You sure your folks won't mind?" I asked. It was a good idea. Soda always had good ideas.

"Naw. They ain't mind if ya stay awhile. Shoot, man, you're like a part o' the family!" I was smiling again and I didn't feel so bad now. Soda always had that effect on me. Don't get me wrong, I was still hurt. But it wasn't _as _bad now.

"Cool." Sodapop looked around for a minute.

"We're gonna be late for school."

"What?"

"We'll be late." He said again.

"How d'you know?"

He gave me one of those looks. "I just _do_."

"Fine, so we're late. No big deal." I still didn't get it.

"My mom was real hacked off last time I had to bring a note for bein' late." He explained. Soda's mom could be kinda strict sometimes. Mostly with the other two 'cause it really was hard to get mad at Sodapop.

"Okay, I'll get us car."

"You think you can?" I looked at him and cocked my eyebrow. It was trick I had picked up from Two-Bit.

"According to Ms. Whitmer I can do anything I set my mind to." I walked over to a nearby car, looking over my shoulder the entire way there. I was showing off, which is a bad habit I have. But if truth be told, I really was kind of nervous. I got caught hot-wiring a car by a neighbor once, and he threatened to call the fuzz if he ever found me doing it again. That kind of scared me. I didn't exactly fancy going to prison at the age of ten, if you know what I mean. There wasn't any reason to be nervous though. Nobody was looking and the car started up right fast. "Come on, Soda!" I hopped behind the wheel and smirked at Soda. He was smiling like a lunatic. I pulled out into the street and revved the engine a little. I'm really good with cars. I learned how to hot-wire one when I was six years old from some older guys in my neighborhood. I taught myself how to drive not long after and how to lift a hubcap. By now, I could drive, fix, or steal just about anything on wheels. We zoomed up the street

"Go faster!" Soda screamed. His eyes were dancing and he looked really excited. Soda and me love driving fast. I pressed the gas pedal into the floor and swung around a corner. We were at school in record time and we hadn't been pulled over by a cop, which was kind of shocking. You'd think they would catch a ten year old kid speeding down the street. But, then again, they never caught me before either. "That was awesome!" Soda jumped out of the car and did this weird dance thing. He looked like he was having a seizure or something. Soda does that when he gets really excited or happy about something–like little kids do. He's always been like that, though, and I don't think he'll ever change.

"Hey, man. We're gonna be late if you carry on with your spas-attack." Soda cocked an eyebrow.

"Who says I'm having a spas-attack? That's my happy dance."

I shook my head. "Come on, happyman. We gotta get to class." We walked off to the school building. I looked at Sodapop, glad that he was my buddy, I really don't know how I could have survived without him.

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**Please REVIEW! It's getting soooooooooo lonely here in Authorville. Tell me what you think!**


	3. Chapter Three

1**Sorry I haven't updated lately. We just got out of school for summer, so I'll have plenty of update time now. THANKS TO EVERYBODY WHO REVIEWED!**

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The lunch bell finally rang. I shot out of my seat and ran to the coatroom to get my lunch bag before anybody else could get there. I don't know why, but I don't like other people to be there before me, like I think they're gonna take my lunch or something. Sodapop was right behind me, as usual. We grabbed our lunches and made our way back to our desks in record time. Just as I sat down, I felt somebody's hand close on my shoulder. I jumped. It was Ms. Whitmer. "Steve, what have I told you about running in class?"

"Don't do it?" I didn't want to get in trouble, not with Ms. Whitmer. I liked Ms. Whitmer. She cared about everybody in the class and not just like how teachers are s'posed to care about you. She cared about you as a person, too. You don't get a lot of teachers like that. Ms. Whitmer sighed.

"Please, don't run in class. You could hurt yourself." She walked away and I turned to Soda. He grinned at me. I just had to grin back. Soda's grins are contagous. I'm not sure how you spell that. It's one of our spelling words this week, so I guess I'd better learn.

"C'mon, man. I wanna tell you somethin'." Soda pulled my arm and led me away.

"So, what's up?" I asked. I hopped on a desk and started swinging my feet. Soda did too.

"Ponyboy got sick an' my daddy's worryin' bout him. He keeps gettin' worse and Daddy's scared 'cause we don't got the money to take him to the hospital 'cause we just bought the new car. I don't want nothin' bad to happen, Steve." I thought for a minute. I had never been crazy about Ponyboy. I guess that's 'cause he's Soda's little brother and Sodapop cares about him so much. Nobody ever really cared about me, except my mom, till I met the Curtis's. That was all I really wanted was for somebody to care about me, so I was kind of jealous of Ponyboy 'cause his family cared about him so much. Still, I didn't want anything to happen to him. He was only a little kid, and I did like him.

"Don't worry, Soda. Ain't nothing gonna happen to the kid. He's okay. Shoot, he's been sick 'afore, ain't he?" Sodapop smiled.

"Yeah, I guess so–come on, let's go put glue on David's chair!" I followed him, smiling. I wasn't smiling inside though. Inside, I was about as far from smiling as you can get.

"G'bye!" I yelled, running out of the classroom at top speed. Soda followed me. The first day of school was over! "Man, am I glad we still got Ms. Whitmer as a teacher. Same as last year." I said.

"Yup!" Soda said happily. He's just about always happy, except when he's not. We zoomed out of the school, completely forgetting about the car. "Hey, Darry! Darry wait up!" We were half way to Soda's house by the time we caught up with Soda's older brother. Darry was a real tuff guy. He was strong, and funny, and really good at football. We played all the time in the vacant lot by Soda's house. Darry was fourteen and in ninth grade. That was high school. I couldn't wait till I got to high school. Darry stopped and waited for us to catch up. He was walking home with Two-Bit, who's another one of our friends. Two-Bit was just about he funniest guy you'll ever meet. He was in seventh grade, which is only two years away from high school.

"Howdy, y'all!" Two-Bit said brightly. He was grinning so widely it must have hurt.

"Hey." Darry said quietly. I could tell right away that something was wrong, but I let Soda handle it. Two-Bit and me fell a little bit behind the other two so they could talk. We came up to the Curtis house pretty soon. Mrs. Curtis was in the kitchen with Ponyboy. Boy did he ever look sick. I knew why Sodapop was worried now. The kid looked terrible.

"Hi, boys." She smiled at us and put a plate with some toast on it in front of Ponyboy.

"Hey, Mom." Soda kicked his shoes off.

"Hi, Mrs. Curtis."

"Hey,"–Ponyboy coughed–"y'all." We all greeted him.

"Hey, is Dad home?" Soda asked, plopping down on the couch. I sat next to him and Two-Bit hopped right in front of the TV. He turned on some Mickey Mouse cartoons and stared at the screen. Somebody could set off an atomic bomb and Two-Bit wouldn't notice when he was watching Mickey Mouse.

"Not yet." Darry sat down at the table and rested his head on his hand. "What's wrong, Darry?" Mrs. Curtis pushed a piece of toast against Ponyboy's mouth. "Come on, baby, just eat something." Darry shrugged. "You'll feel better."

"Uh-uh." Ponyboy moaned.

"Ponyboy, you need to eat something. The doctor said you need to eat something."

"No." Ponyboy said stubbornly and burst into tears.

"His fever's been high all day and he won't eat or sleep." Mrs. Curtis explained. Sodapop jumped up and ran over to Ponyboy.

"Will you eat for me, Pony?" He asked, jumping up and down. Soda couldn't ever stay still.

"Nooo."

"Aw, come on! For me? Pleeeaaassee?" Ponyboy shook his head. For an seven year old, he sure was acting dumb. But I guess it was just 'cause he was so sick. Darry helped Mrs. Curtis carry him to his room and Soda came back to the couch. For the next half hour, we were watched Mickey Mouse and all his buddies wrestle lions, eating corn, and racing down hills in runaway trailers. Two-Bit was hanging onto every word like he hadn't seen the same episode a million times over.

"Hey!" The door opened and Mr. Curtis came in. I liked Soda's dad. He was real nice and funny and he never got drunk or hit his kids or anything. Him and Mrs. Curtis never fought like my parents.

"Daddy!" Soda jumped on him. He always got excited when his dad came home from work. I wish I could say the same, but the only place my dad ever came home from was the bar.

"How was school, Pepsi-Cola?"

"Great!"

"Oh, really?" He tossed Sodapop on the couch and started tickling him. I watched them, wishing it was the same way with me and my dad.

"Hey, can Steve stay over tonight?" Soda asked, gasping for air.

"Will your mom be okay with it?" Mr. Curtis asked me. I swallowed hard. I had been trying to forget all day, but it wasn't working so good.

"Mom ain't here anymore." I muttered. The TV turned off and Two-Bit turned around. I was as surprised as everybody else.

"How come?" I was trying to think of something to say when Mrs. Curtis came to my rescue.

"Boys, dinner!"

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**PLEASE REVIEW!**


	4. Chapter Four

1**Sorry for the lack of updates! Thanks to those that reviewed.**

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Sodapop jumped off the couch and ran to the table. Mr. Curtis gave me a look that was screaming "we'll talk later". I swallowed hard. "What's for dinner, Mom?" Soda asked Mrs. Curtis excitedly. I sat down quietly. I wasn't so hungry anymore.

"Pork, and go wash your hands, you two." I followed Soda to the kitchen sink and squirted pink dish soap on my hands. Me and Soda had a quick water fight and ran back to the table. Darry was telling his parents about some school thing or something. We sat down and started to serve ourselves. I reached across Darry for a roll.

"...And they win all the time–all the time. It's great. Only eighth graders can be on the team, so I can finally try out. Whatdya say? Can I do it? Please?"

"Yeah, Mom. Can he do it? Please?" Soda grinned at Darry.

"If you'll stick with it, then yes." Mrs. Curtis said. Her and Soda's dad smiled at each other.

"Yes!" Darry smiled and went back to eating.

"Yes!" Soda copied Darry's every move.

"Aw, come on, Sodapop. Don't copy me."

"Aw, Come on, Sodapop. Don't copy me."

"Quit it, Soda!"

"Quit it, Soda!"

"You're being a baby."

"You're being a baby."

"Dad, make him stop!"

"Dad, make him stop!"

"Sodapop, stop copying your brother."

"Sodapop, stop copying your brother."

"Now you're copying me?"

"Now you're copying me?"

"Sodapop Patrick Curtis!"

"Sodapop Patrick Curtis!"

"Grow up, Soda."

"Grow up, Soda."

Mrs. Curtis just shook her head, but I could tell she was smiling. "That's alright, Sodapop. You go ahead and copy all you want." Soda beamed and Darry's mouth dropped open. I smirked. I knew what Mrs. Curtis was up to. "I'm sure you don't mind not having your chocolate cake for desert. You see, I've got enough for the family, and I didn't make any for the second Darry." It was Soda's turn to drop his jaw. Chocolate cake was his all-time favorite, and he could never pass up the opportunity to have some. I bit my lip to keep from smiling, so's Soda wouldn't think I was laughing at him, which I was. Mrs. Curtis shrugged and started clearing the plates. Sodapop was torn, I could tell. Everyone was trying not to laugh. Just as Mrs. Curtis was going into the kitchen, Soda sprang up.

"I changed my mind! I ain't Darry no more, Mom! Really! I'm Sodapop, see?" He jumped up and down, eyes wide. We were all laughing by then. Darry reached out and messed up Soda's hair.

"It's okay, little buddy. I'll share with you." Soda practically jumped him. And that's what we did all night. We laugh, and we played, and we even sang a little. I never used to know families could be so happy before, until I met Sodapop. I couldn't help but to be jealous of him, but I'm like a regular part of the family now, anyway, and I ain't never been happier.

**Wow, I haven't updated this in FOREVER! Well, school called. You know I live for reviews...**


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